


self/expression

by eggosandxmen



Category: New Mutants, X-23 (Comic), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Autistic Laura Kinney, DOUG IS A TRANS GIRL AND SO IS LAURA, Gen, Lauras like 12 and she doesn’t have a sense of self, autistic Doug ramsey, god i love them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 09:33:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18049997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggosandxmen/pseuds/eggosandxmen
Summary: doug and warlock help laura figure out a name!





	self/expression

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Value of G](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18041216) by [NotQuiteHydePark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotQuiteHydePark/pseuds/NotQuiteHydePark). 



> I LOVE THEM PLEASE LET DOUG AND LAU BE FRIENDS

The basement was comfortable, in terms of relation- soft light, always exactly seventy-two degrees, almost fully barren of people.

X-23 slunk down the stairs the fifteen consecutive night since he had arrived at the X-Mansion; the noise was Too Much with the children and there were no other imminent options of safety.

The hallway at the bottom of the stairs was dark. X-23’s eyes picked up hastily scrawled words on papers taped to the walls, some in languages even he did not recognize, scrapped metal prototypes lining the floor and cans of soda surrounding an overflowing trash can. 

It smelled of computers and machinery as he stepped out of the hallway, the room he found himself in lit only with a lamp in the corner and the computers humming in the center of the room. 

In front of them, a blond head could be seen, the rest of their body blocked by a chair and a mass of black and yellow wires that seemed to be speaking.

“Self/soul/friend, query: help needed?”

The blond head shook and spun their chair around, full body now visible. 

Douglas Ramsey, New Mutant; codename Cypher, threat level seven; bonded with unknown entity, designation Warlock. X-23 has read their files.

Douglas was wearing a big hoodie and boxer shorts, barefoot with pen scribbles similar to those on the wall scrawled on his legs.

“It’s just E, ‘Lock, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

He picked up a small bottle smelling of hospitals and a glass of water from his desk, taking one out and swallowing it before noticing X-23. “Oh! Hello!”

X-23 blinked.

“You’re Logan’s kid, right? Hi! I’m Doug, and this is Warlock.”

X-23 blinked again and did not respond.

“Oh, sorry, are you non-verbal? Should’ve guessed, my thing is languages- here, do you want to use ASL? Can you sign? Or would you rather just stay here and not talk at all right now?”

He did not attempt eye contact the entire time, which X-23 was grateful for; when X-23 again did not respond, Douglas got up and softly went to the couch in the corner, Warlock holding onto his back and switching into different shapes rapidly- a box, some lines, the entirety of Douglas’ hoodie. 

“Sorry, I’m just turning on TV- it’s routine, you know. I'm going to watch the X-files, would you like to join me?”

X-23 thought for a moment and then sat down carefully on the edge of the couch, Douglas taking a case out of a stack of worn CDs and placing it into a player.

The opening credits rolled and Doug bounced back onto the couch, his hands fluttering rapidly and Warlock wrapping himself around him, the both of them rocking back and forth happily.

After about half an hour, the episode ended and Douglas squeaked happily, Warlock making himself a face to smile.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, I never asked your name!” 

X-23 tilted his head at him. 

“What would you like to be called?” He rephrased his question easily, words flowing from his lips much more easily than X-23 could hope.

“My designation is X-23,” he stated.

“Well, yes, but do you have something you like better than that?”

“I do not understand.” His designation was his designation, what else was he supposed to have? Liking what he was called had never occurred.

“Like, my name is Doug, and I changed it when I came out as a woman because I didn’t like my old full name anymore. Would you like to try something like that?” 

“My creator left me a name after she was killed,” he said after a few moments, “but I do not think it is my own.”

“Hm.” Doug said. “Would you like my help?”

X-23 bit his lip for a moment- dangerous, expressing a sense of self, even in a school for children- but Douglas (Doug, he corrected himself) had been kind and it was late and he had no desire to leave. 

He nodded. 

“Okay, so, how about we start with what you like. Is it okay if I ask what your creator called you?”

He said it (while shoving the guilt from his mind because not taking this name he had been given will disappoint Dr. Kinney but Dr. Kinney is dead and Dr. Kinney wanted him to be happy) and Doug nodded. 

“Okay, kiddo, so can I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you’re a girl, a boy, or something else?”

“I am a weapon.”

“Hm. Well, first of all, I don’t think you are, but right now we’ll save that for later, okay? I mean- okay, your creator, you said, did they refer to you as he or she?”

“She referred to me as male.”

“Okay. Did you enjoy that?”

“I did not feel anything towards it.”

“Alright. Hm.” Doug got up, pacing for a second. “Can I try something here?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so if I say: This is my friend, X-23, and he’s new here, how does that make you feel in comparison to ‘This is my friend, X-23, and they’re new here?’” 

“You have switched pronouns?”

“Yup! That’s often the first step of helping you find a name! Like, I use she/her pronouns, and ‘Lock uses they/them pronouns. So when people say ‘her name is Doug,’ that makes me feel much better than someone using he or they to refer to me. There are a whole bunch of different pronouns, but we’re going to start at the basics for now, okay?”

“I… did not enjoy the use of he. Though that is how I have referred to myself.”

“Okay! So did you think they is a good fit?”

“It felt better, but not- right.”

“Okay, how about she? Like, ‘this is my friend, X-23, and she’s new here?’” Doug asked, her (her!) face curious.

Oh.

Oh.

“That felt. Much better.” 

“Okay, awesome!” she smiled. “So we’ve got your pronouns down- and those may change, but for now you can use them as long as you like them, okay? Now do you want help finding a name?”

X-23 nodded.

“Okay! So, for me, I went with Doug because it was my birth nickname and I always liked it! It’s a traditionally ‘masculine’ name, but I like it and I’m a girl no matter what, so I get to keep it! Now, you said you didn’t like the name your creator gave you, has anyone ever called you anything else?”

“My cousin- my cousin, Megan, she-“ X-23 stopped, her (her!!!!!!) voice catching. “She called me Laura when I lived with her.”

(“You’re like Lara Croft, dude, and you haven’t given me a name to work with, so I’ll call you Laura until you decide, okay?”)

(That name has filled X-23 with happiness even then, and she had guarded it like a treasure in her chest.)

“Would you like me to call you Laura?”

She closed her eyes and nodded, shoulders tensing. The treasure had been shared.

“Okay, awesome! Hi, Laura, I’m so happy to meet you.”

Warlock emerged from the back of Doug’s hoodie, giving her a large, circuit filled smile. “Self/friend Laura! Good to meet! Self/soul/friend Doug and self are happy to know you!”

Laura did not smile back, but her eyes shone, and Doug took that as a good response.

“Would you like to watch another episode, Laura? Want a blanket?”

-

In the end, Doug gave her a pronoun pin and notified Cyclops of her name when she was too nervous to do it herself; she continued to join her at least once a week for television and discussion; and Kitty took them both out to lunch sometimes, keeping up to date on their health and being sure to tell them about new things she discovered.

Laura learned to smile, learned more about her gender, made friends. And Doug always said she couldn’t be more proud of her.

**Author's Note:**

> comments fuel me... next is coming ‘gabby and bellona get gender talks from doug and lock and no one is dead!’


End file.
